


Out From the Depths

by Kanaynays



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mermaids, Merpeople AU, Romance, Slow Build, more tags as the fic continues probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-17 09:16:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5863363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanaynays/pseuds/Kanaynays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Vaughn of the trading ship Hyperion had been raised, like many others, to the legends of of an undersea metropolis, where the merpeople lived in a timeless, peaceful utopia- of creatures infinitely more beautiful than they, who craved the hearts of sailors and feared the nets of fishermen- who would whisk a lucky few away to their kingdom beneath the waves to exist in eternal bliss amongst their brethren, welcomed with open hearts and singing laughter.</p><p>Judging from the way the merman before him was struggling not to snort, the stories Vaughn grew up with may not have been entirely accurate.</p><p>"I mean, I could whisk you away if you wanted me to, but-"</p><p>"Shut up, Rhys."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Doth Emerge a Dork

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in the Borderlands fandom for so long, but I've never really felt compelled to write fanfic?? But the other day my friend and I got to talking about AUs and hot damn do I love me a good mermaid AU. Anyway, enjoy two dorks being in love and not knowing how to tell each other! :D

It was common knowledge amongst Pandorans that merpeople were real. Rare and difficult to spot, sure- but certainly real. Children grew up dreaming of the day they would spot a mermaid by the shore who would become their friend and lover and whisk them away to the ancient underwater city of Helios. Then they became adults, and those wistful fantasies turned into grim, desaturated half-hearted pleas to whatever ocean gods there may be that a creature from the sea would take them, screaming, into the cold, crushing depths from whence it came.

Taxes were dumb.

To most people, anyway. Vaughn liked taxes. He liked working with numbers and he liked the ocean, too. It only made sense that he would become a seafaring merchant captain. His vessel- the Hyperion, as he fondly called it- was operated entirely by those stubborn few who had never given up hope of one day at least catching sight of gleaming fins or- if they were lucky- the parted, laughing lips of an underwater angel. They called themselves the Children of Helios, after the underwater city itself, and truth be told Vaughn thought it was a little silly but he let them be. They were good people who had served him well during his travels and he wasn't about to alienate them over something as inconsequential as a name.

He watched them now as they unloaded their latest shipment onto the docks of a small town named Prosperity Junction, which seemed to be doing its utmost to distance itself from its namesake. He had been here before only a few times- enough to acquaint himself with the local markets and the dingy, unkempt inn, but little else. Not that he was terribly keen to find out more, but lately he'd been wondering if he oughtn't try to get to know the places he stopped at a little more intimately before they disembarked. Every now and then he found himself speaking to merchants, soldiers of the navy and- on occasion- even pirates regarding the nature of the sea and their many adventures, and it always seemed like they had so much more to say about what they'd done in just the past year!

It made sense, he supposed, since his was a _trading_ ship after all, and exciting things weren't exactly _helpful_ , but it was frustrating that his most exciting story of late involved the time his first mate had to stop a woman from eating her own toes after a particularly harrowing case of mislabelled medicines.

The last pirate had said he'd been inside the belly of a whale. Lucky.

That night, feeling distant and thoughtful, Vaughn left his crew to their respective mundane adventures and wandered down to the cliffside beach. He walked along the sand for a while and then, feeling a tad mischievous, scurried over to climb on the huge rocks lining the edge of the cliffs.

 _'Aren't you a little old to be climbing those?'_ he heard the echoing voices of teenagers from his youth.

 _'Oh yeah? Well, aren't you a little... you're dumb!'_ he remembered his adolescent self replying. Flawless.

His lip curled at the memory and he drove it quickly from his mind, focusing on moving from rock to rock without losing his footing. He was fortunate they weren't slippery or he probably would have cracked his head the minute he got on them. He wasn't sure how long he spent there, jumping and climbing from rock to rock, ever with an apprehensive eye on the overhanging cliff, before he decided to turn back. It was probably as little as five minutes, but he was tired, hungry, and wanted nothing more than to return to his crew at the inn for a good chat and a long night's sleep. Childish reminiscing and indulgence wasn't worth the cold biting at his skin.

He had just started on his way when he paused, brow furrowed, foot raised to take another step. He'd heard something. The thick noise of something heavy being dragged across the wet sand followed by grunting- whining? and the sharp slap of flesh against stone. What followed was a brief, contented sigh, a deep breath, and the most beautiful voice ever to have graced his ears raised in song.

He couldn't make out the words, but he also couldn't bring himself to care. He turned around again, carefully edging himself over the rocks and back towards the source, eyes wide and frantic in their search for whoever was singing the lovely melody. It took him less time than expected- as he came over the crest he spotted them and immediately settled himself in preparation for further study.

His first thought was that this person- this man, as it was now apparent- was pretty. _Very_ pretty. Handsome, rather, though the adjective didn't seem quite as accurate with the moon casting such lovely light onto his face and slicked-back hair. His skin- his very _bare_ skin, Vaughn noticed- glistened with cold seawater and as he continued to stare he spotted a circular tattoo covering the side of his neck. He wondered if the man had any other tattoos. He couldn't see the front of him from the direction he was facing, but he could feel himself working his way up to an introduction. He wouldn't let this opportunity slip by- he _had_ to know who this man was, how he had come to possess such a stunning voice, and- and now he found himself wondering, with all these rocks in his line of sight, whether or not the man was actually wearing _anything_.

He hoped he was wearing pants.

Vaughn blushed.

He kind of hoped he wasn't.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, Vaughn cleared his throat and started making his way over.

"Uh- hey!" he called out.

The singer froze, his voice cutting off abruptly, then spun around and _wow_ he was even prettier when he was looking straight at him- and promptly shrieked and fell backwards off the rock he'd been sitting on.

Vaughn exclaimed in surprise and hurried over as quickly as he could without maiming himself, blabbering apologies the whole way.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry- are you alright? Please tell me you're alright, I-I didn't mean to startle you- oh wow, I'm _so_ sorry-"

"It's fine," the man called weakly. There was a bit of shuffling, then his head popped up from behind the rock to stare anxiously at Vaughn. "I- uh- just wasn't- wasn't expecting company, uh..." he fumbled, his cheeks turning red. "Aren't you a little old to be climbing on rocks?" he finished lamely.

"Aren't you a little shirtless to be singing on the beach?" Vaughn retorted immediately. As proud as he was of having a comeback, he immediately felt guilty for it and opened his mouth to apologise when he realised the man didn't even seem offended. Strangely enough, he looked more confused than angry, and the blush had faded from his face- still pretty, even prettier up close.

"What's a shirt?" he asked, and Vaughn came up short, crouching half-off a rock a few metres away. Now that he was closer he could see the rest of the singer's tattoos stretching across his collar- and on his other side, nothing. The man was missing an arm. The realisation and resulting guilt almost threatened to ovveride his incredulity at the question. Almost.

"A... shirt?" he repeated, pulling at the fabric of his own. Worn and dirty, but a good enough example.

The singer frowned, glanced between Vaughn and his outfit and opened his mouth to say something then seemed to think better of it, slumping onto his one arm with a sigh.

"Alright, well, could you come help me up? Took me a while to get on that rock and you seem to know your way around them."

"Oh-sure!" Vaughn scrambled over the few rocks left in the way, leapt over the man's head and landed squarely on his other side. When he turned back to take his hand, Vaughn froze, fingers clamped around the singer's clammy palm, eyes locked on his legs.

Or rather, lack thereof. Where the man's legs should have been there was a long, beautiful fish tail stretching along the sand, turquoise and orange scales glinting in the light; deep crimson and purple fins twitching in preparation for Vaughn to lift him up. Vaughn had completely forgotten about helping him. Transfixed, his gaze travelled to the man's waist, where smooth, flawless skin blended seamlessly with brightly coloured scales a little past his hips. There were fins there, too- flattening themselves now against the ground as the man- the _merman_ drew back a little, hand still clutched in Vaughn's shaky grip.

". . . Dude," Vaughn heard the merman say and he jumped, accidentally tightening his hold and digging his nails into the merman's skin. He hissed in pain and Vaughn let go immediately, backing away a few steps with his hands raised and his mouth once again spewing apologies.

"I-I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I'm so sorry, I-" he exhaled heavily, running his hands through his long hair. "I've- I didn't think- I'm-" he exhaled again. "A-are you- you're a-a merman, right?"

Now that he looked closer, he could see patches of orange on the man's face and shoulders, and little turquoise dots surrounding the edges of his face. Like a parrotfish, he noticed- a slightly miffed-looking parrotfish.

He was rubbing his hand and pouting petulantly when he looked back at Vaughn, brow furrowed in annoyance. "Yeah? What? Did the tail give me away?"

Vaughn fought the urge to laugh hysterically. "A bit? Uh-" He swallowed. What sat before him was quite literally his childhood dream come true, but as he was now starting to realise, between what he imagined when he was younger and what he was seeing now, well, his imaginary childhood mermaid crush had been quite a bit different to the merman before him. For one, this guy didn't seem quite as likely to fall into an instant, passionate and intense burning love for him or to whisk him away to his dream home in Helios. He did, however, seem likely to think him a weirdo and disappear back into the ocean if Vaughn didn't stop acting so bizarrely. The man in front of him was so much more... _real_ than Vaughn had ever imagined.

He would have to settle for a brief encounter, then- if he was lucky, maybe a chat. It was phenomenal enough that he'd gotten to hold his hand.

Clearing his throat, Vaughn steeled himself, and did his best to act casual.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching out again. "Merpeople are, uh- k-kind of a big deal to some humans, and me being one of them, I kind of freaked out. I wasn't expecting to see one _ever_ and, well... Here you are!"

The man glanced warily at his hand and then back at him. The furrow in his brows lessened after a moment and he sighed, still tense but not quite so much as before. He hesitantly let Vaughn grip his hand again- gently this time- and help him back up onto his rock. "It's fine," he said after a moment. "Thanks for helping me back up."

"Sorry for scaring you off."

"I wasn't- I- you startled me. I wasn't _scared_ ," he laughed weakly, the pink once again returning to his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "Uh- apology accepted, though. I'm Rhys."

He held out his hand again, and this time Vaughn took it, smiling nervously. "Vaughn," he replied. "Captain Vaughn, I guess, but just call me Vaughn."

Rhys smiled back and Vaughn felt himself melt a little inside. "So, uh... Vaughn," he coughed lightly. "Are you... new to Prosperity Junction?"

From there, they talked. Rhys made room for him on the rock and Vaughn sat beside him, the two of them relaxing slowly as the conversation lost its awkwardness. Soon they were gushing in earnest, each eager to tell as much of himself as possible in the hopes that they would learn more about the other. Vaughn told Rhys all about his life as a merchant captain, of his first mate Yvette and the rest of his crew, and about his childhood and the many myths and legends surrounding Rhys' kind- which, in retrospect, were all fairly ridiculous. Rhys laughed so hard at one stage he choked, coughing heavily and Vaughn clumsily patted his back, his hand lingering briefly to feel his skin- oddly tough, yet smooth, like soft leather.

He learned that this was Rhys' first time at the Junction and that he was originally from Helios- which was apparently exactly as magnificent as it was made out to be- and had left in search of adventure. Then, after a moment's pause, was informed with a sigh that he had not, in fact, left in search of adventure, but had grown curious when a ship passed overhead and gotten too close, become entangled in a fishing net and accidentally found himself carted back to the Junction. It had been a few weeks since then and he'd had little to occupy himself but with singing, annoying the local fishermen or collecting shiny objects on the beach.

"You know, belt buckles and metal hooks and stuff like that," he explained at Vaughn's odd look. "I like-" he huffed. "I like collecting them. They're pretty, and it's not like I'm gonna do much else with my time. I had a job back at Helios as a- well, I was demoted to cleaner- and I'd always keep anything shiny I found lying around which didn't belong to anyone. I guess it's a hobby at this point? I-it's dumb, I know-"

"No, no!" Vaughn hurried to shoosh him, elbowing him gently. "It's not dumb, it's- I think-" he swallowed thickly. "I think- I think it's kind of cute, uhm. I like to count."

". . . Count what?"

"Anything. That's it. I like working with numbers, and sometimes I just... count things. It helps me relax."

"Oh. That _is_ weird."

"Yeah."

Rhys was grinning, staring at him in an awestruck manner that made Vaughn's insides feel funny. He could get used to being looked at like that.


	2. Shipping Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might have already seen the drawing I did of Rhys for this fic but here's the link anyway!  
> http://coffeepotcat.tumblr.com/post/138402025199/companion-drawing-to-my-dumb-fic-about-a-scruffy  
> Ignore the kelp for now, I'm still not sure whether or not that's making it into the fic.  
> Anyway, they're still dumb and Vaughn sets sail.

"You're leaving?"

Vaughn winced, rubbing the back of his neck. Rhys was _really_ good at looking like a wounded puppy.

He and Rhys sat on the beach side-by-side, trailing their respective feet and fins through the water. They had spent the past two days in a similar position, basking in both the sunlight and the moonlight, hours passing unheeded while they talked- mostly about themselves. Rhys had also managed to convince Vaughn to let himself be dragged further along the beach to where he was currently stashing his steadily growing collection of shiny objects, well away from the town. Surprisingly, he had not been keeping everything underwater as Vaughn had expected, but instead against the cliff, buried beneath a strategically-placed pile of large rocks which he'd somehow managed to present as being conspicuous even amongst many more piles of large rocks.

Vaughn hadn't mentioned it. He'd had the feeling Rhys would only become self-conscious if he did, and he was having a good time talking Rhys through what some of the objects were- as surprisingly knowledgeable on human things as Rhys was, there were a lot of things he _didn't_ know, and Vaughn was more than willing to fill him in.

He'd happily have stayed there with Rhys for so much longer, but he couldn't let himself be kept behind schedule because a cute merman wanted to spend time with him. As much as he wanted to. He would have to bid farewell to his new friend and hope for another meeting.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh, dropping his arm into his lap. "Honestly I wish I could, but we can't stay here any longer if we actually want to make a living. We've still got stuff to deliver to some place called Sanctuary, and as great as it is being able to spend time with you, I can't stay here forever. Got... places to go, people to see. I'm not really good at staying in one place anymore."

"No, no, I get it, it's..." Rhys trailed off, looking out to sea, then suddenly turned to meet Vaughn's eyes directly. "I'm gonna miss you, man."

Vaughn fought the urge to look away. Rhys had a habit of doing that- of looking straight into his eyes whenever he was being truly sincere. It wasn't something Vaughn had come across in many people who weren't trying to threaten him. When Rhys looked away again, breaking the contact, it felt like Vaughn had lost something.

"I mean, you know, I know we've only known each other for what, pssht, a day? Two? But..." Rhys hesitated, his voice lowering to a murmur. "You're one of the closest friends I've ever had. Granted, I haven't, well, haven't _had_ many friends, but... You know what I mean, right?"

"No- yeah! Totally! I, uh- actually, my only friend has pretty much just been Yvette. I guess I had a few friends when I was a kid, but none who really stuck around." Vaughn shrugged. He was starting to feel a little sick. Shuffling awkwardly, he pulled his feet out of the water and grabbed his boots before standing. "So, uh..."

Seconds passed while he stood there, hunched over slightly and staring at the sea foam coating the shore. One of Rhys' eyes was the colour of the sea. The other was hazel. He'd probably be remembering that for longer than he needed to.

"Y-yeah! No, it's cool-" Rhys' voice snapped him from his thoughts. "I'll... I'll wait by the docks, yeah? Wave you off, and all that."

Vaughn laughed, but it was clearly forced. "Sounds awesome, man. I'll keep an eye out."

"Cool."

Rhys started shuffling his way into the water, sliding when the water worked its way beneath his scales, and turned back only when he was deep enough to swim. He raised his arm in a wave and Vaughn returned it, watching him disappear beneath the surface.

Vaughn slumped with a groan, running his hands through his hair as he made his way sullenly back to town. The moment he arrived Yvette was upon him.

"You look like shit," she told him frankly.

"I feel like shit," he muttered in response.

Yvette hummed sympathetically. He hadn't told her about Rhys, but she seemed to have decided he'd been spending the past few days engaged in a passionate fleeting romance regardless. It wasn't the first time she'd assumed that, but it was the first time she'd been close to right- not that he'd have called it a romance or anything, that would be absurd. Wouldn't it? Yeah. Probably. They hadn't kissed or anything, and they'd parted as friends, but it had definitely been nice.

He rubbed his eyes as his mind flashed back to the image of Rhys pushing himself back out to sea. The last few times they'd parted he'd rolled across the sand, giggling- usually about some terrible pun he'd called out beforehand. Standing beside him, watching him dejectedly shuffle away- it had made him seem small, almost. Pitiful.

Vaughn groaned again, hanging his head. "I didn't tell him I was leaving until today."

Yvette inhaled through her teeth in a hissing gasp. "Are you _serious_?!"

"I didn't- I mean I _told_ him I couldn't stay long, I just..." Vaughn waved his hands empathetically. "I just..." Vaughn waved his hands empathetically. "I just didn't tell him it was _today_ , specifically."

"Oh, Vaughn..."

"I know, I'm garbage."

"Yeah."

She clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a lopsided grin. "Well, at least we're heading out of this hellhole, right? You won't have to worry about him being mad at you until we come back in, what, a decade? We can make it a decade if you want to."

Vaughn's gut twisted unpleasantly. Rhys didn't belong here. As lost as he was, he certainly wouldn't be sticking around this place for a decade. "Sure."

"No more of those gross grilled skag skewers."

"Those _were_ pretty gross."

"But I _will_ be grilling you for some details later."

"Fair enough."

"Hey," Yvette took him by the chin, raising his head to look him in the eye. "You're gonna be fine, alright? I mean first of all it was only two days, not exactly a _lasting_ whirlwind romance- and second of all, you know we're all here for you."

She was right, of course. Two days was hardly enough to get to know someone inside and out- he did truly care for Rhys, but really, it hadn't been long. The feelings would fade quickly enough. Probably. Probably not. He couldn't conceive of ever forgetting that goofy idiot. And to think, he'd looked so serene in the moonlight. Who could have thought that hiding beneath such a captivating song was the cracking voice of a dorky man who could shoot seawater out of his nose.

Vaughn frowned, feeling his face heat up. Rhys had convinced him to go swimming with him when he'd tugged on his beard, excitedly saying "Vaughn look, look."

Vaughn hadn't been expecting Rhys to proudly mirror himself at the dinner table when he'd been younger- though seawater seemed like it would be a lot more painful than milk. He'd temporarily forgotten how to swim while he laughed and coughed and choked, and Rhys had held him afloat the whole time, beaming and giggling like an idiot.

He'd been so proud of himself.

"I know you are," he said eventually, letting the memory fade and chastising himself for acting like a lovesick fool. "Thanks, Yvette."

He meant it too, and she knew it well. She smiled and placed her hand at his back, leading him up the gangway and onto the deck.

Vaughn stood at the stern of the ship as they cast off, eyes searching frantically for a flash of blue or the telltale crimson of Rhys' fins, but saw nothing. Still he waited, even as the anchor was hauled out of the water and the sails dropped open, he stood at the railing, his knuckles white and straining at his skin. It was only when the town turned blue on the horizon that he gave up looking, his chest hurting and his palms sweating after spending so long tense with anticipation as he turned away. His disappointment was palpable as he headed down to his quarters, informing Yvette that he had some paperwork to sort, which wasn't entirely a lie. She understood him, gripping his arm momentarily in a gesture of comfort before returning to barking orders at their sailors.

If he'd stayed a little longer, he might have witnessed Rhys' excited grin as he bobbed up to the surface, or heard the splash his fins made as he quickly submerged to effortlessly keep pace with the ship. Instead, he heard only the dull thud of his door closing behind him, and saw nothing but the town disappearing into the distance through his window.

His room, situated at the very back of the ship, was anything but spectacular. He had a desk beneath his lone window at the far end of the room covered in all manner of papers and books- trading reports, requisitions, payment logs- as well as a few account books and journals all written in his trademark chicken scratch. His narrow bed was placed on the opposite end of the room, above which was a set of simple shelves covered in various knick-knacks and bizarre instruments he was rather fond of. Aside from a few paintings and a table covered in a large map, there was little else to decorate the space. Vaughn tended to spend as little time as possible by himself when he wasn't working and would take almost every meal with his crew- he didn't see much point in putting too much effort into making a place look nice if nobody was ever going to see it.

He caught a glimpse of one painting in particular of a stunningly beautiful mermaid lying half in the water and grimaced, immediately moving to take it down. The Children of Helios would appreciate it more than he currently did. For the time being, he left it facing away from him by the door and sat down at his desk with a long sigh, taking a moment to rest his head in his hands before picking up his quill and getting to work.

He was at his desk like that for longer than he'd care to admit, growing steadily more exhausted and frustrated with the menial task. Filling reports usually set him at ease, but now more than ever he only wished he had somebody to talk to, and it wasn't anyone on his ship. Yvette had brought him his dinner earlier, assuming rightly that he wasn't up to spending any time among people, but that had been a few hours ago at least.

He checked his clock. It was almost seven. The sun was setting.

Rubbing his eyes, he breathed out slowly through his teeth. He could keep working a little longer.

'A little longer' ended up being just long enough to light his lantern and prepare to take his seat, for it was then that there was an almighty _SLAP_ on his window and he jumped back with a shriek.

Heart pounding against his ribcage, Vaughn ignored his better sense and inched forward before practically ripping the window off its hinges and leaning forward to investigate. He ended up jumping back yet again when something came flying towards him, yelling in surprise and fright when it came clean through the window and crashed into his desk, sending its contents flying in a whirlwind of papers and ink. Even with all the colours and fins assaulting him it took him a moment before he realised who it was and immediately closed the window, shoving books off and away from the writhing body on the floor.

"Rhys!" he exclaimed, taking hold of his arm. "Rhys, oh my god! What are you _doing_ here?!"

Rhys had somehow managed to almost swallow one of Vaughn's papers during the crash and was struggling to spit it out, jerking his arm back before grasping Vaughn's hand and use it as leverage to adjust his tail. "Your desk-" he wheezed, "-is too hard, Vaughn-" he broke off, coughing, rolling pathetically onto his side and panting. "I think one of your books hit me in the neck."

"Rhys! _What are you doing here?_ "

"I think I might have a bruise. Do I have a bruise?"

"Rhys! Oh my _god_!"

Vaughn threw his arms around Rhys' shoulders, burying his face into his hair, ignoring the cold water seeping into his clothing. "I- y-you weren't at the docks, so I though- I thought-"

Rhys, too exhausted to do much else, clutched at the back of Vaughn's shirt. "I was going to," he gasped. "I was going to- to wave goodbye, and... I don't know, ste-collect-"

"You can say steal, Rhys."

"-Steal a couple more silver bowls or whatever and move on, but-"

He fell back, chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought to catch his breath. "Holy shit, I've been swimming for _hours_."

Vaughn laughed, still caught in a state of disbelief. It felt a little like he was floating. "You're half fish, isn't that what you do?"

"Oh _sure,_ Vaughn. You're half legs, why don't you just _sprint_ everywhere?"

He took a few minutes to steady himself, during which Vaughn moved behind him and carefully pulled his head into his lap. His hair wasn't slicked back like it usually was- it had become dishevelled during the chaos and much of it fell across his face, which was still red from exhaustion and slick with seawater. He looked nice. Better than nice, he looked amazing. Not even a day they'd been apart and already it seemed like Vaughn's memory had been doing him injustice. He waited patiently for Rhys to speak, brushing his hair away from his face and stacking any papers he could reach without shifting him.

". . . I _was_ going to stay there," he said eventually. "But then, uh..." he coughed lightly, "then it occurred to me that if- if you _left_ then I wouldn't be able to talk to you, so..."

He leaned his head back, looking up at Vaughn, and Vaughn felt his heart flutter in response.

"Can I come with you?"

Vaughn chuckled, pulling lightly at Rhys' hair, ignoring the man's indignant squawk. "Of course you can," he replied softly. "Just don't come crashing into my desk anymore. That shit's gonna take ages to sort out."

"Yeeeahhh, sorry about that."

"How'd you even know that window was mine?"

"Lucky guess? The other one I looked at had people wearing bright yellow bandannas running back and forth inside so I kind of figured you wouldn't be there."

"Fair enough, I guess."

"And I _hate_ what you've done with the place. Not enough colours."

"You're colourful."

Rhys raised an eyebrow, pushing himself up to lean against Vaughn's side. Vaughn dearly hoped the man hadn't noticed how deeply he had blushed the moment the comment left his lips.

If he did, Rhys didn't mention it. Instead he exhaled slowly through his nose, closing his eyes and pressing his head to Vaughn's shoulder.

"It's good to be here, bro," he mumbled.

A pause.

"Good to have you here, bro."


	3. Even More New Beginnings

Rhys did, as predicted, end up with a bruise. Several of them actually, and not just on his neck. There was one on his arm, one on his shoulder, one on his hip- he was sure there were a few on his back, but he didn't want to wake Vaughn up to check. He'd fallen asleep beside Rhys on the floor a little while ago, after the two of them had stayed up far later than they should have talking about whatever came to mind- from more details about each other to their plans for the immediate future.

They would tell Yvette, that much was decided, but Vaughn seemed dubious about telling his sailors. With a name like the Children of Helios, Rhys was inclined to agree. It wasn't likely to be an issue anyway- most days Rhys would swim alongside the ship for as long as he could and rest in Vaughn's room, or simply stay there until nightfall, where he would sleep on the floor. Vaughn had offered his bed, but Rhys was used to nodding off curled up on rocks or the sandy ground, which was a lot more solid than most humans seemed to suspect. Vaughn had seemed weirdly put-out when Rhys talked about it- until he joined him on the floor, anyway.

Rhys looked at him now, his breath caught in his throat. Vaughn had extinguished the lantern some time ago, but Rhys didn't need it to see. The sparse moonlight shining through the window he'd crashed through was more than enough to put the man in stark contrast to his surroundings, and Vaughn looked positively _beautiful_. Handsome? Majestic? Perhaps charming would be a better fit, or even gorgeous... Or even _enticing_.

Rhys felt his throat tighten and he swallowed reflexively, chewing on his bottom lip. Vaughn was captivating. He'd never seen him asleep before- they'd always separated before he'd had the chance, but he was glad to have it now. Not that he was the most conventionally delightful sleeper; his mouth hung open for one thing, and there was a trail of drool running into his beard. Not to mention the bizarre snorting noise he was making roughly every three minutes or so. And also the fact that he kept tossing and turning and very nearly elbowing Rhys in the face.

He was _adorable_.

Scooting closer, Rhys carefully curled up next to him, being careful not to touch him, and shut his eyes, listening to the sound of Vaughn's breathing and trying to match it himself. He drifted off in that same position, but when he woke several hours later it was to a bewildering warmth and a _very_ sore neck.

Both were explained when he wriggled and opened his eyes and found himself wrapped around Vaughn with the top of his head pressed up against Vaughn's chin. Eyes on Vaughn's collarbone, Rhys stiffened and began the awkward process of extracting himself, halting immediately when Vaughn grunted, mumbling, and pressed his chin more firmly into Rhys' hair.

Emitting a low noise of frustration, Rhys flicked his fins and tried to at least get his tail away from Vaughn's legs, then froze when he heard the door fly open and a sharp inhale from the intruder. Before he could even look to see who it was the door slammed shut and Vaughn bolted upright with a snort, sending Rhys falling to the floor and gasping in pain when he landed directly on one of his many bruises. His eyes screwed shut, Rhys didn't see Vaughn moving to help him until one of his fins accidentally smacked him in the face and caused him to hiss. Reeling in horror, Rhys scrambled to sit up and immediately reached for him, tentatively placing his hand on Vaughn's cheek and babbling apologies.

"It's fine," Vaughn hurried to assure him, his voice still heavy with fatigue and making no move to take away Rhys' hand. "It's fine, honestly."

"Are you _sure_? That looked like it _hurt_ , man!" Rhys said frantically.

"No, yeah, it's okay- are _you_ okay? You're _covered_ in bruises, bro!" Vaughn tilted Rhys' head up, wincing sympathetically at a particularly large purple blotch on the side of his neck. "I'm sure we've got some cream or something somewhere on the ship."

"Dude, if there's cream _you're_ the one who should be using it- that's seriously starting to go red, bro."

"Dude. No. _You've_ gotta use it, bro."

"Bro-"

_"Bro-"_

_"There's no cream!"_

Both of them jolted, having completely forgotten about the intruder, and spun to face them. There at the door with her arms folded over her chest stood a stern-looking woman wearing a pair of glasses and a dagger at her belt who was currently staring at the two of them with a quizzical expression. She walked slowly towards them, keeping her eyes locked firmly on Rhys, who shrank back in response.

Vaughn glanced at him, seemed to take note of his change in behaviour and moved in front of him, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. He cleared his throat. "Morning, Yvette."

" _Morning_?" she repeated incredulously. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's..." he glanced again. "Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?"

She caught on immediately. Her arms dropped to her sides. "Are you _serious_?!"

Vaughn laughed nervously and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, so he's coming with us now."

There was a tense, drawn-out silence as Yvette looked between the two of them, her jaw locked and her eyebrows drawn.

"Alright," she sighed eventually. She rubbed her eyes, seating herself with a thud in front of him. "Start from the beginning."

They did. Vaughn did, anyway. Rhys was happy to let him talk, interjecting only occasionally to clarify that Vaughn was _clearly_ exaggerating when it came to any of Rhys' more embarrassing moments and to retaliate with some of Vaughn's own idiocies. All things considered, Rhys thought the explanation went rather well, but he was curious what it had been that she and Vaughn had spoken about the day before. For all the time they talked she kept glancing at him and, towards the end, giving him a sly smile he wasn't sure how to feel about, but he let it go. The looks she was giving Vaughn were far more suggestive, and it was clearly making him uncomfortable.

"And anyway, so then we, uh, fell asleep on the floor and you walked in, and the rest you were here for," Vaughn finished, clapping his hands together. "So! End of story, official introductions- Rhys, this is Yvette, Yvette, this is Rhys!"

Yvette stared at him a moment longer then slumped, holding out her hand. "Well then, Rhys. Nice to meet you."

"Um." Rhys shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, I would shake your hand but I've only got one of them and it's _kind_ of the only thing keeping me upright at the moment."

"Oh! Shit- sorry, Rhys," Vaughn apologized quickly. "Do you want to come sit on the bed? The pillow's nice to lie against if your back's sore."

"It's _killing_ me."

Vaughn snorted. "Well clearly it's not, but cool. Do you want breakfast? I'll go get some for the three of us- Yvette, could you help him?"

Yvette raised an eyebrow at him and hesitated before nodding. "Sure thing."

Vaughn grinned one last time before leaving, the door shutting with a thud behind him. Yvette was on her feet immediately, crouched down with her arms outstretched towards him. It took Rhys a second to figure out that she was waiting for instructions, then mere moments before he was comfortably set up on Vaughn's bed. He thanked her and groaned as he sank into the soft pillows, grimacing against the ache in his spine he knew would fade with time. For the briefest second he even forgot Yvette was even there, preoccupied as he was with willing away his discomfort. Her voice snapped him back to his senses.

"Not built for land, I take it?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Her care in setting him up had softened him to her considerably, but he was still wary. "What?"

She gestured at his tail. "I guess, like most people, I kind of figured it wouldn't be a problem, but..."

Rhys snorted. "Humans see _one_ ridiculously flexible mermaid and decide all of us have spines which can bend at ninety-degree angles. I'm, uh. It's also that I'm just not as bendy as most people, I guess. And the floor in here is _really_ hard."

She smiled in response. "If you're really planning on staying here you might want to find a way to fight that. I'm sure Vaughn would be happy to help- I don't think he's ever felt compelled to decorate this place for anyone but himself and he has particularly..." her lip curled, " _practical_ tastes."

"Oh my god I _know_ \- it's terrible in here! I mean, sure, _functional_ , but it's so bare!" Rhys sat up a little, gesturing furiously at Vaughn's sextant. "I mean what even _is_ that? Why is his bed _beige_?"

Yvette laughed in earnest, settling down on the bed beside him. He shifted his tail to accommodate her as they criticized Vaughn's choice in décor together, both getting particularly enthusiastic when it came to the subject of patterns and shiny things which, as Rhys proclaimed proudly, he was _quite_ the expert on.

"I had to leave my collection behind though," he added in disappointment. "Both at Helios _and_ at the Junction- granted, the Junction stash wasn't much, but still..."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Yvette replied, and Rhys was surprised to hear genuine sincerity in her tone. "Is that something many merpeople do? Build stashes?"

"Not really. I mean, it's not _unusual_ , but not everyone does it. It's a preferential thing."

"And... how long do you see yourself staying here?"

He opened his mouth to reply then hesitated, pursing his lips. It took him a long time to say anything and Yvette waited patiently, watching him in anticipation.

Rhys blew out a slow breath. "As long as I can?" He said it like he was asking her permission. "I- I know it's sudden... It's _really_ sudden, but- but I really do like spending time with him. Vaughn. And you too, now." He flashed a shy grin at her. "So, uh... If you'll have me, I'd like to stay here. Indefinitely. I mean it's not like I have anywhere else to be."

Yvette hummed. "Well, there's got to be at least one empty crate on board, and if not, we can clear one out for you until we get you a proper chest or something." She paused, smirked at Rhys' gaping, and withdrew one shiny gold coin from a pouch at her belt. "Here," she said, flipping it in his direction. "You can start again with that."

He fumbled to catch it, clutching it in his hand and gazing at it in awe. It was the shiniest coin he'd ever seen in his life. "Thank you," he breathed, rubbing his thumb across the golden surface. "I- I can't pay you back for this, you know."

"You can," she assured him with a grin. "Just keep chilling with Vaughn and we're all good. He was devastated, you know," she added, poking him in the side and causing him to squirm. "To leave you behind. He was standing at the railing for hours, just watching the town disappear into the fog. Honestly, I've never seen him so smitten. Well, except maybe once back during our schooldays, but teen romance doesn't count."

Rhys flushed, pursing his lips and feeling incredibly guilty, her insinuation flying straight over his head. "I didn't mean to scare him," he mumbled, voice full of regret. "I didn't even think of following the ship until after he'd already boarded, and by that point I didn't want to wave goodbye if I wasn't gonna stop seeing him. "I- uh. Hadn't actually considered he might not let me stay, so," he cleared his throat awkwardly.

Yvette snorted, shaking her head and giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Well, you _are_ staying, so there you go." With another pat she stood, stretching and straightening her jacket. "Well. Nice meeting you, Rhys. Hopefully we'll be able to do something about Vaughn's terrible taste in furniture soon together. At least he doesn't have such bad taste in men as he does sextants."

She winked at him, and once again the insinuation went straight in one ear and out the other. He smiled widely at her anyway and watched her leave, holding his shiny new coin a little closer to his chest. It wasn't long after that Vaughn returned with food, and as the two of them ate side-by-side on Vaughn's bed, Rhys couldn't fight the glimmer of hope that sparked within him- that every morning could be like this- that every day could be spent with his new best friend. They didn't talk for a long while, content merely with each other's company, but the instant he was done Rhys procured his coin to show it off.

"Yvette's nice," he told Vaughn sincerely. "I really, really like her. And _not_ just 'cause she gave me a coin, she's just really, really cool. I can see why she's your first mate," he added, nudging Vaughn's shoulder.

Vaughn rolled his eyes, but his lips were quirked in amusement. "As if I had anything to do with that. She basically forced her way into the position- I don't think anything would have really changed if I'd told her no."

"We're redecorating your room."

"Oh my god," Vaughn's head fell back against the wall with a thunk.

"It's atrocious, Vaughn."

"It's perfectly fine."

"There are not nearly enough shiny things in here."

"Not everything needs to be shiny, Rhys."

"Your eyes are shiny."

"I-" Vaughn broke off, giving Rhys a double-take and feeling his face grow warm when he took in Rhys' earnest expression. "Th-thank you?"

It was only then that Rhys seemed to realize what he'd said and he turned red, pulling back and babbling some nonsense about rainbow half-striped curtains and colourful shells to adorn his walls, but Vaughn had long stopped listening to anything he was really saying. He really was _very_ cute when he was flustered.

Really cute.

Adorable, even.

Vaughn frowned.

His face grew very, very hot.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!!! Finally an update!!  
> Apologies for the ridiculously long wait, I've had this chapter half-done for several weeks now and just haven't gotten round to finishing it- school's started up again and has taken me quite by surprise with how much work we have right off the bat, so I can't really say much for future updates either, other than that they will happen!  
> Thank you all for your lovely comments- though I may not reply to all of them, I read every single one with a ridiculous grin on my face~


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